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Stitch Fix: What’s All the Hype About?

stitch-fixIf you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard about Stitch Fix, allow me to enlighten you.

Stitch Fix is basically a personal shopping service that delivers clothing and accessories right to your doorstep. You fill out a profile online that includes your personal tastes, sizes, current style needs, as well as your budget. Some of my more frugal friends love Stitch Fix so don’t assume it will be out of your price range. You also get a referral code to use to share Stitch Fix with your friends, which of course I’m using in this post! I’m have no professional affiliation with Stitch Fix; I’m a customer just like everyone else.

A personal stylist is assigned to you, and she selects five items to send you based on your profile. She also includes a personal style card that shows each piece styled a couple different ways, which is helpful if you’re not super confident in the fashion department. Their website and blog also has lots of great style advice too.

You keep what you like and return the rest. They send a handy pre-paid mailing bag for your convenience. It couldn’t be easier.

There’s an initial $20 style fee that is applied towards your purchase. If you keep the whole box, you get 25% off, which is a great deal — IF you like everything. You rate the items you received and provide feedback on your Stitch Fix profile so the stylist knows how to better style your next box.

Here’s where you have to have a bit of patience. I ordered my first box a few months ago and I didn’t like anything inside. Everything was a bit too big, and the styles just weren’t me. I sent it back and had to forego my $20, and I decided I’d rather shop for myself. I told them so in my feedback.

But every time I turn around, my blogger friends are posting adorable photos of clothes they got in their Stitch Fix boxes, and I decided to give it another try.

My second box came last week.

Here’s my unboxing video — you can see each piece I received and my initial impression.

This box was MUCH better than my first. I’m SO glad I tried it again. The style card included a note from my stylist, who said she was sorry I didn’t love my first box and that she had looked at my Pinterest boards and was sure that I will be happier with this one.

Well, she was right. Not everything was perfect, but she definitely had the right idea. Here are photos of everything. These are just lame basement photos. I handed my husband the camera while he was studying and he didn’t even get up, so pardon the bad lighting and strange angles.

My Second Fix

So let’s break it down.

dress stitch fix

The dress looked promising in the box. I liked the quality and at $138 it was definitely affordable. I do have a similar black and white dress, and this one — while it actually fit well — I just didn’t feel it was terribly flattering, and I can’t pinpoint why. But needless to say, it went back.

coral blouse

The coral blouse was a surprise. I thought it would be too baggy, but it actually has just enough shape to it that it works, and I like the detailing on the sleeves — they are gathered in the back. It’s really cute. I wasn’t 100% confident about it, but my husband said it was very flattering, and when I posted these pictures on my Facebook page, everyone liked it. So I kept it. I think it was around $55. I wore it to church on Sunday with white jeans and got several compliments on it.

teal top stitch fix

The teal top was the one I really expected to like, and it fell flat. Or, maybe that is a poor choice of words because it definitely does not make me look flat. HA! But it certainly isn’t flattering, and back it went. I believe it retailed for around $65.

jeans stitch fix

Finally, the jeans. I DO NOT NEED NEW JEANS. However, these I absolutely love. They were $118, which is a price I am comfortable paying for jeans that I know I will wear a lot. While I do have a pair of light-wash jeans, they do not have any distressing as these do (ironically, my position above does not allow you to see that detail.) My other jeans also have a “cigarette leg” while these are ankle-length skinnies. No, they’re not terribly different, and yes, they will serve about the same purpose, but I didn’t have the heart to return them. I know I’ll wear them a lot.

(Also pictured, before you ask, are my Sam Edelman Romy Sandals, which I adore, AND they are 33% off at Nordstrom with free shipping and free returns. You are welcome.)

necklace

There was also a necklace in my box. Again, jewelry is not really something I need at the moment, considering that I’ve recently added QUITE a few pieces to my wardrobe with being a Stella & Dot stylist and all. But this necklace is different than anything I have, and also different than anything Stella & Dot has, and I was tempted to keep it. (Also pictured, Stella & Dot Demi Earrings, which are just $24.50.)

Before I made my final decisions, I actually walked down to the bus stop in the coral/jeans/necklace with all the tags still attached. I wasn’t intending to ask anyone’s opinion, I just didn’t have time to change before the bus came. I happened to run into a neighbor, who immediately commented on the necklace, and I knew then and there it was a keeper. I told her about Stitch Fix, and we discussed my jeans dilemma, and before I went back into my house I had ripped off the tags and declared them mine.

And that’s how I happened to acquire a necklace and jeans that I totally do not need and a new blouse that I love but is nothing I would have chosen for myself. 

(The teal top and dress are going back.)

As my husband said, “It’s a brilliant business plan, but not so great for the budget.”

True nuff. But I still say, if you are in the market for new clothes, and you a) don’t have time to shop or b) don’t know what to buy or c) want to broaden your horizons and see what someone else might choose for you, give Stitch Fix a try. And if you don’t like your first box, don’t despair. Give it one more try. I know a LOT of people who didn’t like their first box and had great success after that.

UPDATE: There are a lot of questions in the comments about the prices. I took a screenshot of that section of the profile so you can see your options.

Stitch Fix budget optionsAs you can see they have quite a range of options.

Stitch Fix is a service that employs real, life human beings to look at your style profile and make clothing and accessory selections based on your unique style so it stands to reason that there is going to be a certain base price you have to pay to make it worth their while to run their business. Don’t forget — their referral program is a great way to offset the cost of the boxes. Those $20 credits add up!

 

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27 Responses

      1. Yes! I love the jeans, you rarely “need” jeans but when you find a pair that fit and look great you have to go for it. I’m going to have to check those out!

  1. I loved that coral top on you when you posted it on FB and Instagram. It’s great to see it in high-res pictures, and how flattering it really is on you. After this baby comes, I plan on giving stitch fix a try and see if it can be a budget-friendly decision for us frugal fashionistas. Also, that necklace is fantastic on you!

    1. They have you fill out how much you want to spend for every type of clothing. And there is one called “the cheaper the better” lol. So do let me know what you think! At the end of the day, this is a service, so I don’t think it’s for the super frugal among us. But it depends on what your idea of frugal is. 🙂

  2. I agree with you on the black and white dress but I love the teal top on you. I have tried Stitch fix three times and they can’t seem to get it right. Last time I asked for short sleeve and got all long, plus I had a shirt with pulls. Oh well. I love that tangerine top!

  3. Hmmm… appreciate you sharing your experience. I could see this working for someone who doesn’t have time to shop or hates braving the mall but I am not one of those people. I am pretty shocked that people would be willing to pay >$50 for a fairly simple top and over $100 for a pair of jeans when there are so many options/sales/opportunites to pay less out there where you can find nice items for less. Maybe money is not an object for others but I can honestly say that I would never be comfortable spending that much on so few items… I also don’t anticipate that I will ever be that busy that I cannot shop for myself. I do love the necklace on you and that coral top!

    1. I agree 100% !! and I love shopping and choosing and looking….. 🙂 and not spending that much…

  4. Love the coral top, jeans and necklace. Honestly, I don’t like that dress and wouldn’t choose it for anyone. It just isn’t flattering although it fit well. What are the price budget choices with Stitch Fix? I would love to see what a personal shopper would choose for me but I would need super budget friendly choices.

  5. The coral top is such a great color and the necklace is unique. My sister loves Stitch Fix but i have not tried it yet. It would be fun to have a personal shopper!

    Jill
    dousedinpink.blogspot.com

  6. Ooooo lala! That black and white dress is amazing! I love it on you! Plus I really love that casual summer outfit with the cute pink top! Love this! You always look great in everything you wear! 🙂

  7. I got that aqua top in my first box and I loved it when I saw it, but I had the same thing happened. It looked terrible on. I think it looked better on your than it did on me though. I ended up sending back my entire first box because nothing fit properly. Since I loved what they sent me other than the size, I decided to try again. I’m excited to see if they will get it right in June.

  8. Wow, so pretty. She did a good job on getting pieces for you. Out of price range but if I can ever afford steeper price points, I’ll try it out.

    Nell

  9. This is such a clever idea. I don’t know of anything like it here in SA yet. I do love the Coral shirt and it looks truly amazing and does something magical for your skin tone … the jeans are fab as well and I also thought from watching your video that the teal top was promising. I think the black panel on the side of the dress ends at an odd length. Loving your sandals.!!

    Hope you’re having a fabulous vacation.

    Wendy
    Simply Sassy Style

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